Abstract:

In 2009 two calibrated acoustic recorders were deployed in polar waters of the North Atlantic to study the seasonal occurrence of blue, fin, and sperm whales and to assess current ambient noise levels. Sounds from these cetaceans were recorded at both locations in most months of the year. During the summer months, seismic airguns associated with oil and gas exploration were audible for weeks at a time and dominated low frequency noise levels. Noise levels might further increase in the future as the receding sea ice enables extended human use of the area.

Description:

This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the Acoustical Society of America and can be found at: http://asadl.org/jasa/. To the best of our knowledge, one or more authors of this paper were federal employees when contributing to this work.